VW Jetta TDI: Long-term test update

You tend to get a feel for your car’s fuel consumption rate. Without even looking at the gauge you can tell how much gas you’ve got left and how long until the next fill up.

That doesn’t work with the Jetta TDI.

In fact, we thought VW was playing a joke on us (they do this cheese prank that is sooo not funny) when the car’s fuel gauge refused to budge. In its first few weeks with us, the needle stayed near Full. Granted we were only using the car to commute to work and run short errands, but that still meant some 20 miles each day, more on weekends. Someone had to be filling this thing up at night. That or we were in a space/time continuum rift.

Eventually, I needed to make a 300-mile trip down south. Typically, I’d hit the local gas station and fill up, maybe get some road nosh. No need. The Jetta still said it was fueled.